Your buyer pays the sales tax, but on some marketplaces you pay a fee on it. eBay takes the most: its final value fee counts the tax. Poshmark and Mercari take nothing. Whatnot, Depop and Etsy take only their payment processing share. On a $50.00 sale with $8.00 shipping and 7.5% tax ($4.35), that’s $0.59 on eBay, $0.15 on Depop, $0.13 on Whatnot and $0.13 on Etsy.
Which fees count the tax
| Marketplace | Fee on sales tax? | Which fee | Fee on buyer-paid shipping? |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | Yes | Final value fee (13.6% in most categories). Tax also counts toward the $10.00 per-order fee line. | Yes, final value fee (some exceptions) |
| Poshmark | No | None. The fee is $2.95 or 20% of the listing price. | No. The buyer pays Poshmark for the label. |
| Mercari | No | None. The 10% selling fee is on item price + buyer-paid shipping. | Yes, 10% selling fee |
| Whatnot | Yes | Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 on the buyer’s total). Commission is on the item price only. | Processing only |
| Depop | Yes | Payment processing (3.3% + $0.45 on the buyer’s total). No US selling fee. | Processing only (Boost: only without a Depop label) |
| Etsy | Yes | Payment processing (3% + $0.25 on the total). The 6.5% transaction fee skips sales tax for US sellers. | Yes, transaction fee and processing |
Fee on tax at common prices
| Sale price | Sales tax | eBay | Poshmark | Mercari | Whatnot | Depop | Etsy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $2.48 | $0.34 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.07 | $0.08 | $0.07 |
| $50.00 | $4.35 | $0.59 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.13 | $0.15 | $0.13 |
| $100.00 | $8.10 | $1.10 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.27 | $0.24 |
| $250.00 | $19.35 | $2.63 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.56 | $0.64 | $0.58 |
Small per sale, but it adds up: 100 sales like the $50.00 one above cost about $59.00 in eBay fees on tax alone.
Watch eBay’s $10 line
eBay’s per-order fee is $0.30 for orders of $10.00 or less and $0.40 above (eBay Help: Selling fees (eBay.com)), and the order total includes tax. A $9.50 item with no shipping costs $1.59 in fees without tax. Add 7.5% tax and the order is $10.21, so the fee is $1.79: $0.20 more, of which $0.10 is the higher per-order fee.
Rules by marketplace
- eBay: the final value fee is on the total amount of the sale, which includes the item price, handling, shipping (some exceptions apply) and sales tax (eBay Help: Selling fees (eBay.com)).
- Poshmark: $2.95 for sales under $15, 20% of the listing price from $15 (Poshmark: Guide to Poshmark (fees)). Poshmark calculates, collects and remits sales tax (Poshmark Blog: Your Guide to Sales Tax on Poshmark (Aug 21, 2019)). The buyer pays Poshmark for the label, so shipping isn’t in your fee either.
- Mercari: 10% of the item price and buyer-paid shipping (Mercari Help: Fees on Mercari). Tax is a separate charge with no added fee (Mercari Help: Sales Tax for Sellers).
- Whatnot: commission is on the item’s sale price; shipping and taxes paid by the buyer are not included. Payment processing is on the total the buyer pays, including shipping and taxes (Whatnot Help: Whatnot seller fees).
- Depop: no selling fee for US sellers. Payment processing is charged on the item price plus shipping and any applicable taxes. Boost fees exclude taxes (Depop Help Centre: Seller fees and charges).
- Etsy: for US sellers the transaction fee and Offsite Ads fees don’t apply to sales tax; payment processing is on the total sale, including tax and shipping (Etsy: Fees & Payments Policy; Etsy Help: Payment processing fees).
Quick answers
Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?
Yes. eBay’s final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale, and eBay says that total includes sales tax (eBay Help: Selling fees (eBay.com)). In most categories that’s 13.6% of the tax. On a $50.00 sale with $8.00 shipping and 7.5% tax, the buyer pays $4.35 tax and eBay’s fee on it is $0.59.
Does Poshmark charge fees on sales tax?
No. Poshmark’s fee is $2.95 under $15 and 20% of the listing price from $15 up (Poshmark: Guide to Poshmark (fees)), so the buyer’s tax isn’t in it. Poshmark collects and remits the tax (Poshmark Blog: Your Guide to Sales Tax on Poshmark (Aug 21, 2019)).
Does Mercari charge fees on sales tax?
No. Mercari’s 10% selling fee applies to the item price and buyer-paid shipping (Mercari Help: Fees on Mercari). Mercari adds tax as a separate charge and says there are no additional fees for collecting it (Mercari Help: Sales Tax for Sellers).
Does Etsy charge fees on sales tax?
Partly. For US sellers the 6.5% transaction fee does not apply to sales tax, but payment processing (3% + $0.25 in the US) is on the total including tax and shipping (Etsy: Fees & Payments Policy).
Do Whatnot and Depop charge fees on sales tax?
Only payment processing. Whatnot’s commission is on the item price, with shipping and tax excluded; processing (2.9% + $0.30) is on the buyer’s total including tax (Whatnot Help: Whatnot seller fees). Depop has no US selling fee; processing (3.3% + $0.45) is charged on price, shipping and any taxes (Depop Help Centre: Seller fees and charges).
Not included
Promoted listings and ads, store subscriptions, non-US rules (Etsy’s and Depop’s differ outside the US), and income tax. Tax rates and what’s taxable (including shipping) vary by state; enter your buyer’s rate. Your marketplace statement is the final word.
See your full payout in the payout comparison or a single-platform calculator: eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Whatnot, Depop, Etsy. Working out your price? Try the reverse price calculator.
Every rule on this page was checked on the marketplaces’ official fee and help pages on Nov 2, 2026.